Disclosed is an input device with an input pen, comprising a device for producing a magnetic field, a local input area inside which the local position of the input pen can be determined, in addition to an arrangement for detecting the local position of the input pen inside the local input area. The arrangement for detecting the local position of the input pen contains at least one magnetic compass arrangement for detecting a direction of the magnetic field lines in the location of said compass arrangement, in addition to an evaluation step for determining at least one of the spatial coordinates representing the local position of the input pen inside the local input area from the detected local position of said input pen. The inventive input device is both simple and economical.
